Batching of objects such as for example food product in order to produce batches that for example fulfil predefined criteria as regards e.g. the total weight are well-known within the prior art, cf. for example GB 2 116 732 and EP 781 172 and WO 00/23771 that describe systems, wherein the food items are transported on a conveyor belt and wherein the items are selectively transferred to a plurality of receiver stations, where the batches are formed.
Further, the use of a robot in connection with batching of objects such as foodstuff items has also been suggested in connection with prior art systems.
For example, WO 95/35238 A discloses a method and a system for forming weighed batches of foodstuff articles wherein a robot is used for transferring selected foodstuff items to a carrier plate. However, according to this prior art, the robot and the system is arranged in such a manner that the robot picks up the items one by one and delivers the items to the carrier plate. Thus, the robot is only able to deposit the transferred items to a single location placed in the vicinity of the robot and in the same order as the items are forwarded to the robot.
Further, in “BENEFITS OF EXPERT ROBOTS: INTELLIGENCE vs. SKILL” by K. Khodabandehloo (“Expert Systems and Robotics”, Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg, 1991) and in “Robotic packaging of poultry products”, also by K. Khodabandehloo (“Robotics in Meat, Fish and Poultry Processing”, Routledge, 1992), the use of a single robot in a batching system has been suggested. These two documents both suggest an application for a robotic system for fixed-weight-fixed-price packaging of fresh portions of poultry and in particular chicken. Chicken portions, e.g. chicken breasts, are mechanically weighed and the weight information is transmitted to a computer controlling the robotic cell. The computer controls the robot in such a manner that a predefined number of portions having (at least) a predefined total weight (and with a minimum excess weight) are assembled on a tray. Cameras are used for detecting the position of the individual portions, e.g. in order to aid the robot in gripping the items.
Still further, in WO 01/22043 the use of robot technique for effecting the transfer of items to selected receiving stations, where the batches are formed, is disclosed.
It is an object of the present invention to present a method and a system for batching of objects, which provides a more flexible and efficient batching in comparison with the above-mentioned prior art.
Thus, it is an object of the present invention to present such a method and such a system, by means of which a more effective handling of the produced batches or packages can be provided.
Further, it is an object of the present invention to present such a method and such a system, by means of which the selected objects for a batch can be placed in e.g. predetermined and/or orderly form, and whereby the produced batches may be processed further, e.g. packaged etc. without disturbing or interfering with the form or “layout” of the produced batches.
In particular, it is an object of the invention to provide such a method and such an apparatus, which is suitable for selecting and placing objects, which “belong together in an assembly” on a conveyor in such a manner that they can be transferred to a desired packaging, tray etc. or possibly in such a manner that the objects are placed directly on or in a desired packaging, tray etc. Such objects that may be said to “belong together in an assembly” may for example be objects that together has a predefined mass or weight (for example 1 kg), but other criteria may also be used. Such an example may for example be a package comprising chicken parts, e.g. prepared and ready for putting in the oven, where a package comprises two chicken thighs, two chicken legs (“drumsticks”), two chicken wings and two chicken breast parts.
Further, it is an object of the present invention to provide such a method and such an apparatus, which provides improvements in relation to the prior art systems as regards the speed with which a flow of objects may be transferred to batches or packages, while simultaneously providing the effect that the objects may be placed in the batches or packages in an orderly form.
Still further, it is an object of the present invention to provide such a method and such an apparatus, by means of which an effective handling of different batches or packages, e.g. batches having different target weights, is facilitated.
These and other objects are achieved by the invention as explained in further detail in the following.